Apparatus for treating material with a gas



Feb, 8, 1949. A. w. ARNOLD APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL WITH A GAS Filed July l0, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR /Qc Ex W /Zewaao Feb. 8, 1949. A, w ARNOLD 2,461,134

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL WITH-A GAS Filed July 10, 1944 2 sheets-sham- 2 INVENTOR /QAEX VK @2A/04D AT'TQBNEYS Mansion July l., 1044, 8er|aINo.544,287

l This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating material with a las.

c (man. (cislsri ,y

A primary object of the invention lathe pro-v n vision of a novel and improved simpliiiedand compact apparatus having novel means for repeatedly subjecting the material to'be treated to blasts of treating gas. While the apparatus is primarily intended for dehydration, it may be usedfor other treating operations. y

The invention further has as its object the provislon- .of a temperature changing` chamber with reference to the treating chamber, the whole being .so compactly organized that the apparatus may rtdily be made portable if desired. y

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel construction of the treating cylinder. in which a helical flange or screw advances the material through the cylinder, successive blasts loi' gas being peripherally admitted and the arrangement being such that power is economized because the cylinder or drum is free of lifting bames and the material to be treated is not required to be lifted to any great distance in traversing' the cylinder. y

A further object is to provide a novel and platform I comprise a frame supported at the rear by a wheeledaxle t and atl-the front by .a

dirigible axle Il.v The-flanged rollers ll at the frontl'and I! `at the rear of .thecasing support therings il and il on the treating drum or cylinder-,Ii for rotation. s Annular packingof asbestos or the `like is lcarried at Il and il on the casing to ensue, the periphery of the drum so that the drum may rotate on the rollers without permitting any substantial communication of atmospheric' air about the drum with the gases in the interior Lof the casing.l vTo rotate the drum, I mayemploy a motor II connected through a reducing gear set I l with one of the rollers Il. This roller may, in turn, be `connected by chain 2l with the other roller Il. v

The material to be treated is admitted through an elbowed hopperk 2| equipped witha convenf i. tional rotary charging valve 22 driven by a belt compact dehydrator, in which heat iseconomized A and fully used for dehydration.

Other n jects will appear more sumciently from the following disclosure ofthe invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially in longitudinal section through a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view taken through the apparatus in cross section.

Pig. 4 is fragmentary detailed view of the treatlng cylinder in perspective.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail. showing a partiaifcross section of the treating cylinder on a larger scale that thatof Fig. 3. i Pig. t. is a fragmentary section taken on the flinel--lof-Fia.. y

like parts are denoted by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

By way of emphasizing the compactness of my improveddevice, I have chosen to exemplifyits construction by illustrating a portable emliodixuent. 'The shell or 1 togetherwith 23 from the reducing gear set Il. At the other end of the drum a discharge throat 24 guides they material to the inlet of a fan casing 2l within which a rotor 2iy is driven from motor 2I.y The discharge pipe Il from the fan leadstq the conventional separator ll, which .discharges the .treating 'gas at 3|. and the material at i2.

The drum is provided interiorly with a'substantially continuous helical nange v` at 3l which, as the drum rotates (clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3), progressively advances the work through the drum from its inlet end at the right in Fig. Ito its discharge end at the left in Fig. 1.` yThe helical chan-l nel between successive turns of the flange is provided at intervals with louvers through which gases from the casing l are admitted to the interiorv of the drum il. According to the requirements, these louvers may be few in number or may be numerous.` In the drum illustrated. the channelis provided `with about six `louvers or inlet apertures per convolution near the inlet end of the drum but, after about three turns or `convolutions, the number of louvers is reduced gradually until there are only aboutr three louvers per convolution near the outlet end, the object being (with particular reference to a dryer) to dry the material 'rapidly while it is very wet, but to protect it from `overheating as it becomes dry.l

In order to provide the inlet louvers atJLI make the form cfa series 'of volutefwallsections l1, each periphery of the 'il in the ,f

3 of which approaches approximately tangentially the periphery of the ilange Ii. These volute sections'preierably lap somewhat. as clearly shown in Pig. 3, so that, as the drum rotates clockwise,

the material conilned between successive turns lofV ings Il. It will alsobe continuously exposed to a whirling current 'or such gases, such current bei mmtined at "e111`v points vwithin' the drum by thl'Ough the louvers 0f Simh gases by the blower ian,

The interior of casing tained available at au times for'passsge through the general tangential admission of such gasesA 36 and the axial withdrawal* :MannesY 4 cal nange and having louvers opening substantially tangentially oi the periphery o! the harige into the drum only at points disposed between successive convolutions of said ilange.V

2. In a dryer, a drum having an inlet and an outlet for material to be treated and provided interiorly with a helical ange and having louvers opening substantially tangentially of the periphery of the ange into the drum only at points disposed between successive convolutlons of said ilange, a casing in which said drum is mounted for rotation, said casing providing a plenum chamber for supplying dehydratng gases for entrydnto said drum through saidlouvers, means for establishing a pressure differential for the flow of gas from said plenum chamber into said 1 provides a plenum! chamber in which the treating gases are main-A the several louvers 36 to the interiorofgthe drum.y

The chamber has a bottom wall at 4u and a false purposes) preferably supporting a layer of Viirebrick 'at 42 anda combustion chamber 43 which' may conveniently be made from a senil-tubular section of cast pipe, notchedat y44 to provide an outlet into the plenumchamber within which the drying cylinder lirotates. (For other purposes, other temperature Ychanging or gas modlfying means would be substituted-'or the heating or'combustion chamben) Y In the end of the casin 1I is :an admission port 45 controlled by valves '48. Air' admittedy past thevalves- 46 traverses the vspace between the bottom140 and the rpartition 4l until it/reaches the'end'of the partition. Suchl air picks up most of the heat which might otherwise be lost through downward radiation. v Passing about the end 'of the partition 4l the air enters the interior of the combustion chamjber. At this point, the burner 41 projects intdthe end of the combustion chamber, being preferably supplie@ with its own air by means or blower 48; The resulting llame is projectedlengthwise of the combustion chamber and the products oi combustion are thoroughly mixedyith the air supply admitted through the port 45 and raise the temperature thereof.k Heat radiated from the wall 43 of the combustion chamber is delivered to the interior of the casing and thereby saves fuel used in theA dehydration operation. Y, i The fact that the combustion chamber and the air admission duct are within the casing 1, rand in the same chamber in which the drying drum operates, makes the device not merely compact but very economical of heat.

Although the gases and the material to be treated'preferably move in the same direction through thefdrum, the advance of thewmaterial is almost quite largely controlled by the rate of drum rotation and the pitch of the helical partition Sii.` Complete treatment is'assured inasmuch as the apparatus'fexposesl notV only the freshly admitted product, but the-product `in all stages of treatment, to gases which have not previously acted thereon. Even when the material is almost ready fordischar'ge, there will still be a fewof the louvers 36 across which the material must fall, 'exposed tonewlycadmitted gas.

Irclaim: Q 1. Ina device of the character described, a

drum, said louvers'openinginto said drum in a direction oppositeto the direction of drum rotation lwhereby material in the drum will fall by gravity, .across successive louvers exposed to dehydrating gases entering the drum.

3. lIn a'device of the character described, the

i s. c mi i i h bottom or partition at 4i', the latter (for dryerv f o 'bnat on Wit a' casing of a' drum having an inlet` and an outlet for material to be treated and rotatably mounted therein and having its ends projecting from the casing', said drum being provided interiorly with a helical flange and peripherally with volute wall portions in lapping relation to aiord l-ouvers in helical series disposed I having `an' inlet and an lmuet `immaterial c to be treatedand provided interiorly `with a heliwholly between successive flights of said flange and opening from the 'casing into' the drum substa-ntially tangentially of the periphery of the ilange, means for delivering into one end o! the drum material to be treated therein, means for rotating the drum in a direction opposite to the direction of tangential admission of gas'thereto from the casing, means for exhausting from the oppositeend of the drum gas which has acted on `material therein, and means in the casing for heating gas for acting on such .material, said casing comprising a plenum chamber from which ngas is admitted to the drum through the several louvers aoresaid.

4. Apparatus of the character described, comprising in portable` compact form a frame, a casing thereon having apertured ends, a drum having an inlet and an outlet for material to be treated and rotatably mounted in the casing and having its ends projectingfrom the casing apertures,fsaid drum comprising a helical flange having segmental projections outside the drum and providing ywithin the drum a helical Vchannel therethrough, and mutually lapping volute peripheral wall portions disposed between successive flights ci the flange and marginally connected to saidprojections -to provide louver passages opening into .the drum between successive nights of said hangman .inlet fitting connected with one end of the drum for delivering thereto material to be treated therelm a discharge iitting connected with the opposite end o f the drum, a blower casing having an inlet with which said discharge fitting communicates, a separator mountedon said frame, a delivery pipe leading from said blower casing to said separator, means for rotating theldrum in a direction opposite to the direction 'off tangential admission of gases from the casing to the drum through said louvers, the lapping ofpjsaid 4volutewall portions being adapted to deliver material fromsaid wall portions tosuccessive wall portions of the drum across the louvers in the` course of drum rotation, andf'said casing comprising aplenum chamberabout the drum from which gases are supplied for admission through said louvers for the `treatment'. of such material.

' is interiorly provided with temperature changing means, and means for admitting gases to be changed as to temperature for distribution in said plenum chamber for the treatment oi material in said drum.

6.*A drum of the character described comprising a helical flange having its successive flights radially disposed and provided on its exterior periphery with segmental tooth-like outward projections, said drum having mutually lapping peripheral wall portions disposed between successive iiights of the iiange and marginally connected to said projections to provide louver passages opening into the drum between successive nights oi.' the iiange.

ALEX W. ARNOLD.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile lof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name v Date 275,596 Conover Apr. 10, 1883 876,440 Cummer Jan. 14, 1908 10 1,275,709 Lemb Aug. 13, 1918 1,299,791 Seaman Apr. 8, 1919 1,785,583 Hawke Dec. 16, 1930 2,027,475 Giraud 1 Jan. 14, 1936 v FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number country nate 518,772 Germany Feb. 19, 1931 

